SynthesisNeonatology2017
Doxapram Treatment for Apnea of Prematurity: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Neonatology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.
- RECOVER Guidelines: Newborn Resuscitation in Dogs and Cats. Evidence and Knowledge Gap Analysis With Treatment Recommendations.Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001) · 2025Pooled it
- Doxapram for the prevention and treatment of apnea in preterm infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Doxapram Exposure Was Not Associated With Adverse Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: A Monocentric Retrospective Cohort Study.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Observational
- Comparative Effects of Aminophylline, Caffeine, and Doxapram in Hypoxic Neonatal Dogs Born by Cesarean Section.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Evaluation of the safety of doxapram in premature neonates born before 28 weeks of gestation.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Pharmacological treatment for apnoea of prematurity-the need for an individualised approach.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Review
- Apnea of Prematurity and Oxidative Stress: Potential Implications.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- A Survey of the Union of European Neonatal and Perinatal Societies on Neonatal Respiratory Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Article
- Hyperpolarization Induced by Lipopolysaccharides but Not by Chloroform Is Inhibited by Doxapram, an Inhibitor of Two-P-Domain KInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Article
- Treating Apnea of Prematurity.Cureus · 2022Review
- Toward personalized medicine for pharmacological interventions in neonates using vital signs.Paediatric & neonatal pain · 2021Review
- Immature control of breathing and apnea of prematurity: the known and unknown.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2021Review
- The bioavailability and maturing clearance of doxapram in preterm infants.Pediatric research · 2021Article
- Apnoea of Prematurity and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: Current Understanding and Future Prospects for Research.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Review
- Precision Dosing of Doxapram in Preterm Infants Using Continuous Pharmacodynamic Data and Model-Based Pharmacokinetics: An Illustrative Case Series.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Article
- Doxapram Treatment and Diaphragmatic Activity in Preterm Infants.Neonatology · 2019Observational
- Article
- Blood potassium and urine aldosterone after doxapram therapy for preterm infants.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundApnea of prematurity (AOP) is a common complication of preterm birth, for which caffeine is the first treatment of choice. In case of persistent AOP, doxapram has been advocated as an additional therapy.
objectiveTo identify and appraise all existing evidence regarding efficacy and safety of doxapram use for AOP in infants born before 34 weeks of gestational age.
methodsAll studies reporting on doxapram use for AOP were identified by searching electronic databases, references from relevant studies, and abstracts from the Societies for Pediatric Research. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility and quality, and extracted data on study design, patient characteristics, efficacy and safety outcomes.
resultsThe randomized controlled trials showed less apnea during doxapram treatment when compared to placebo, but no difference in treatment effect when compared to theophylline. No serious adverse effects were reported. We identified 28 observational studies consisting mainly of cohort studies and case series (n = 1,994). There was considerable heterogeneity in study design and quality. Most studies reported a positive effect of doxapram on apnea rate. A few studies reported on long-term outcomes with conflicting results. A range of possible doxapram-related short-term adverse effects were reported, sometimes associated with the use of higher doses.
conclusionBased on the limited number of studies and level of evidence, no firm conclusions on the efficacy and safety of doxapram in preterm infants can be drawn. For this reason, routine use cannot be recommended. A large multicenter randomized controlled trial is urgently needed to provide more conclusive evidence.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.